Health and safety isn’t just a chore that companies have to go through to please regulators. It’s also a source of competitive advantage. Firms that offer safe places for their workers to operate are more likely to attract and retain top talent.
But is your workplace actually safe? That’s a different question. In this post, therefore, we take a look at some of the things that you can do to make your workplace safe and how they actually add value to your enterprise.
Practice Regular Safety Drills
Regular safety drills can sometimes seem like a chore to management. The last thing you want is to continually interrupt work and march the rank and file outside to a designated fire assembly point. But when it comes to safety, regular drills are essential. They’re the best way to prevent fires from causing serious harm if they occur in real life in the future.
Practicing safety drills once a week is perhaps going a little overboard. But doing them every month or so helps to keep everyone up to date.
Display Your Safety Measures
Here’s another tactic that really works to keep people safe in the workplace: display your safety measures publicly.
Safety signage does two things. First, it shows workers that you really care about them. Putting up signs and displays is proof positive that you take their well being seriously (something that can encourage them to stick with you longer). And secondly, it actually helps to improve compliance.
Say, for instance, that you operate forklift trucks in your warehouse. Forklift truck accidents are nasty, and many people can die as a result. So it is a good idea to put up signs reminding people to stay at least five meters away from them at all times when they are in operation.
Prevent Trips and Falls
Trips and falls are one of the primary causes of injury in the workplace, and can be particularly dangerous if employees are working from height.
If trips and falls are likely in your workplace, then put up warning signs. Also, employ edge protection for any drops, voids or active areas of construction. Finally, always put up signs whenever you clean flooring as wet floors may cause workers to fall.
Use Digital Signage
Another option you can explore is digital signage. You can use it to make daily announcements, alerting workers to issues that might affect their safety.
Document All Your Procedures
New employees can sometimes find it hard to get up to speed with all your procedures and policies. It’s a good idea, therefore, to put everything in documentation that they can study in their own time. Before handing them any papers, make it clear that studying them is an imperative. Tell them that safety is a core value of your enterprise and something that everyone has to bear in mind who works for you.
Making documents digital is a good idea because employees can access them at any time. You could include them in shared folders that everyone has permission to access.
